Vancouver Giants leading scorer Marek Tvrdon admitted he was scared — "really scared" — when told he had a blood clot in his left shoulder that could end his hockey career.

Tvrdon, 19, had a procedure done Monday at Vancouver General Hospital to remove the clot and faces further surgery. He is out for the season. But he said he was relieved to learn he should be able to resume playing next year. Tvrdon, a Slovakian, was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the fourth round of the 2011 NHL entry draft. "I was really scared when the doctor say I can maybe never play hockey anymore," Tvrdon said in an interview at the Giants’ training centre in Ladner. "The Detroit Red Wings were scared. My agent was scared. Now I feel better because they tell me I can still play hockey. So that’s a good thing." Sat, Nov 24, 2012 11:53:00 AM

Marek Tvrdon is out for the remainder of the season due to what is reportedly a blood clot in his arm.

It's worth noting that the team has not disclosed the nature of his medical problem. "It's a tough day," Vancouver Giants coach Don Hay said. "Marek's health is the most important thing and I've been told he won't be able to play again this season." Tvrdon has eight goals and 22 points in 18 WHL games this season. Thu, Nov 15, 2012 03:49:00 PM

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Vancouver Giants leading scorer Marek Tvrdon admitted he was scared — "really scared" — when told he had a blood clot in his left shoulder that could end his hockey career.

Tvrdon, 19, had a procedure done Monday at Vancouver General Hospital to remove the clot and faces further surgery. He is out for the season. But he said he was relieved to learn he should be able to resume playing next year. Tvrdon, a Slovakian, was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the fourth round of the 2011 NHL entry draft. "I was really scared when the doctor say I can maybe never play hockey anymore," Tvrdon said in an interview at the Giants’ training centre in Ladner. "The Detroit Red Wings were scared. My agent was scared. Now I feel better because they tell me I can still play hockey. So that’s a good thing."

Marek Tvrdon is out for the remainder of the season due to what is reportedly a blood clot in his arm.

It's worth noting that the team has not disclosed the nature of his medical problem. "It's a tough day," Vancouver Giants coach Don Hay said. "Marek's health is the most important thing and I've been told he won't be able to play again this season." Tvrdon has eight goals and 22 points in 18 WHL games this season.

The Red Wings signed prospect Marek Tvrdon to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Tvordon was the team's fourth-round pick in the 2011 draft. The Slovak winger spent the last two seasons in the Western Hockey League, scoring 31 goals and recording 74 points in 60 games this past season with the Vancouver Giants.

Depth Charts

Pavel Datsyuk simply threw one at the net and luckily tied Thursday's game at two midway through the third period, on way to a 3-2 win over the Sharks.

It's tempting to ring the ol' "Magic Man" bell here, but Datsyuk really got lucky as Niemi was heavily screened on a puck that didn't leave the ice. But hey, it looks like a perfectly aimed snipe in the books. Dats is second on the team in goals with 22, and leads them in points with 50 through just 49 games.

It looks as if Detroit coach Mike Babcock will continue to play Stephen Weiss on the team's first power-play unit at the expense of Pavel Datsyuk.

It's not as a result of Datsyuk playing poorly. It's quite the opposite. Datsyuk is needed to create on the second unit. That said, it's a boost to Weiss' fantasy value and negatively impacts on Datsyuk's. When healthy, Weiss is a pretty good hockey and fantasy asset.

It marked just the second time this season that has happened. Sheahan received the boost in ice time against the Ducks because of Henrik Zetterberg's injury. He registered the game-tying goal at the 16:09 mark of the third period. Sheahan has 10 goals and 28 points in 58 games this campaign.

Luke Glendening scored on a whirling-backhanded far-post goal with just 75 seconds left in the third period, giving the Red Wings the 3-2 win over the Sharks on Thursday night.

It was a truly great individual effort, and also one that Antti Niemi nor Joe Thornton should not receive a lot of blame over. Glendening positioned himself beside the right side of the crease as Gustav Nyqvist came around, took the pass as he spun off Jumbo's stick-check, and hit the far corner. Catching Niemi playing the wrong percentages. Glendening now has eight goals and a dozen points on the season.

Zetterberg was able to take part in Monday and Tuesday's practices. Even still, Zetterberg's availability won't be determined until after Detroit's skate Wednesday morning. He skated alongside newcomers Erik Cole and Justin Abdelkader.

The Detroit Red Wings have put newcomer Erik Cole on a line with Henrik Zetterberg and Justin Abdelkader.

Detroit acquired Cole from Dallas on Sunday. He did get some playing time with Jason Spezza during his time with the Stars, but he also occasionally slipped to the third line. This situation is worth keeping an eye on because if Cole consistently plays with Zetterberg for the remainder of the season then he should finish on a high note. That all being said, Zetterberg has been suffering from a concussion, so we might have to wait a game or two before they end up playing together. As it is, Zetterberg is questionable for Wednesday's game. Cole's presence also hurts Gustav Nyquist, who has moved to the third line.

The Wings finish off their five-game road trip with a 3-1-1 record. "It was a good trip for us," said Tatar. "We proved we can play with the best teams in the league. We were strong the whole trip. We're real happy with how it went for us." The 24-year-old has scored 20 points in his last 20 games and he has an overall stat line of 25 goals and 46 points in 61 games. No one on the Red Wings' roster has scored more goals than Tatar this season.

Daniel Cleary will be scratched against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night.

Through injury and general ineffectiveness, Cleary has just 13 games to his credit this season with only two points and little else to show for his efforts. The once quality depth grinding forward no longer has any fantasy value.

Drew Miller has never scored an NHL goal on his brother Ryan Miller of the Vancouver Canucks.

The Canucks and Wings are facing-off against each other in Detroit on Sunday. "It's still fun, something that's pretty unique, playing against your brother," Drew Miller said. "There's no real trash talk, maybe just a jab at each other here and there when you can. The family enjoys it. There will be a lot of friends and family at the game."

There's no timetable for his return to the ice, so it's unclear when he'll be ready to play again. GM Ken Holland said that Franzen had been making some progress over the past couple of weeks, but then he encountered a bit of a setback.

That's the result of Detroit acquiring Erik Cole, who skated alongside Henrik Zetterberg and Justin Abdelkader. Meanwhile, Nyquist practiced with Riley Sheahan and Stephen Weiss. Zetterberg is recovering from a concussion though and is questionable for Wednesday's game, so the practice lines might not end up being the ones used.

Justin Abdelkader recorded a team-high four hits and added one shot in the Red Wings' 1-0 loss to the LA Kings on Tuesday.

Playing on the second night of a back-to-back situation on the road was a tough spot for the shorthanded Red Wings. Detroit was held to just 20 shots on the night and barely threatened Kings' goalie Jonathan Quick. Captain Henrik Zetterberg was out of the lineup for a second straight game.

Danny DeKeyser contributed two assists in Detroit's 3-2 win over San Jose.

He had the secondary helpers on third-period goals by Pavel Datsyuk and Luke Glendening. DeKeyser entered the match with two assists in his previous 13 outings. He hasn't scored a goal since Dec. 23 and has 23 points in 58 games. Needless to say, DeKeyser shouldn't be on your roster if you are looking for offense.

Marek Zidlicky has been dealt to Detroit for a third-round pick in the 2016 NHL Draft.

If the Red Wings reach the Stanley Cup final, New Jersey gets Detroit's second-round pick. The veteran defender can be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. Detroit was after a right-handed defenseman and they found one in Zidlicky, who brings some depth to the back end of the Wings. He has 23 points in 63 matches this season.

Jonathan Ericsson extended his point streak to four games in Saturday's win over the Islanders.

Ericsson isn't known for his offensive touch, but he is having his best season in that respect. The 30-year-old isn't a major point-producer, but he is just two points away from tying his career-high of 15. He is a solid defender for the Wings, but he doesn't have much fantasy value.

Kindl had just two goals on the season coming into this game. Both of his goals were scored in the third period and they were actually just 45 seconds apart. The 28-year-old has 11 points in 29 games this season. Offensive performances like this aren't common for Kindl, who couldn't even remember the last time he scored twice in a game. "Probably back in junior I would say, in the OHL. It's been a while," Kindl said. "We just said to each other on the bench they scored a couple of quick goals and we can do the same thing."

Alexey Marchenko is expected to miss seven-to-10 days with an oblique strain.

He scored his first NHL goal in Saturday's game against Nashville and logged 12:47 of ice time, but he was apparently injured in that match. Marek Zidlicky's acquisition from New Jersey on Monday could send Marchenko when he's ready to return.

Look for Jimmy Howard to get the start in goal against the Predators Saturday afternoon.

He is coming off a very fine 20-save win in San Jose. Howard has played well since returning from injury and is a must start even though the Wings are facing one of the top teams in the NHL. Make sure you have Howard active early as Saturday's game starts at 3:00 pm EST.